Blood Moon: Collared and Bound

TW: Blood, panic attack

Another school day done and another night in the forest. On the hard cold forest floor with who knows how many enemies would be lurking around every possible corner, just waiting for the right opportunity to come out and attack her when she least expected it.

Maybe she could go back to Silas and Karri? In their warm hut on a soft blanket while being a little safer. No, she wouldn intrude on them again, especially with their home being so small and her having stolen their food the night prior they probably didn want her there again.

So… sleeping on the hard, cold forest floor with a high risk of dying it was.

”Hey! ”

Lupita was brought out of her thoughts and turned to see Jazmyn jog up to her.

”Where will you be sleeping tonight? You told me last time that you didn have a place to stay, ” she asked as they walked.

”In the forest, ” Lupita answered simply and kept walking beside Jazmyn, not really thinking about where they were going.

”Oh, ” Jazmyn said and lightly picked at her hair. ”Um, when do you leave for the forest? ”

”It is right by the school, so I might stick around for a while, maybe catch a chat with North. Why? ” Lupita tilted her head slightly to the side while looking at Jazmyn. She and North had gotten pretty close. Both were outcasts, both had weird eyes, and both didn have a pack. Friends in barely less than a minute.

”The football team is having tryouts today, ” Jazmyn began and Lupita frowned. She had no idea what football or ryouts were. ”Football is a sport, and I am trying to get into the team today… the only problem is that I most likely won , considering I am a halfling. ”

”Why would that be an issue? ” Lupita asked as they made their way to the field where she could smell both humans and werewolves.

”I have to try out for both teams and I know that either team I end up on, I will be a disadvantage to the team and an outcast, ” Jazmyn said as she gulped. ”I have to change. Could you stay and watch? ” she pleaded, letting out a tiny whimper which seemed to shock the girl.

”Of course, and no need for those puppy eyes, ” Lupita said and felt her instinct kick in at the tone and sight of the girl.

”Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! ” Jazmyn squealed and suddenly embraced Lupita in a hug. It took Lupita a few seconds to understand what was going on before she hugged the other girl back and carefully rubbed her back.

”Moon! Get into the changing rooms! ” someone shouted and Lupita growled lowly while tightening her grip on the smaller girl.

”Don worry, ok, ” Jazmyn said and ruffled her hair before walking off to what Lupita assumed were the changing rooms.

”No touchy! ” Lupita shouted after her and fixed up her hair.

”Hello. ”

”Shit! ” Lupita turned and was about to punch the person but they ducked, and luckily she had seen who it was before preparing another strike. ”Can you stop sneaking up on me? ”

”You might want to check your senses, ” Elizabeth teased and motioned for her to follow her.

”My senses are on point. You are just a very stealthy werewolf that smells like, ” Lupita took a deep breath and caught the same smell of baked goods and good food. The same scent she got when she walked past bakeries and restaurants. Not that she had done it a lot but those scents were hard to forget when she had been practically foaming at the mouth when the smells had hit her nose. ”You smell like a mom. ”

”Ill take that as a compliment, ” Elizabeth said and sat down on a bench. She was still in formal clothes but looked much more relaxed than when she was in class. A few buttons were undone on her blouse and her dark, curly hair rested in a low, loose ponytail that looked a lot more comfortable than the high and tight one she had her hair in all morning. Lupita sat down beside her and they waited for the rest of the people to come out of the changing rooms.

”Is Jazmyn the only halfling that is trying out? ” Lupita asked as she sniffed the air. No one even closely resembled Jazmyn in smell.

”She is one of the only halflings in school, ” Elizabeth said and Lupitas eyes widened. Sure, people who mated outside their species were shunned and sometimes cast out, but was Jazmyn really the only one? It couldn be that taboo.

”It isn very popular to mate with other species I guess, ” Lupita said and fiddled with her fingers.

”I was kicked out of my pack for having a human mate. And my mate was kicked out of his home for being with me. Our daughter in turn is sadly an outcast like her parents, ” Elizabeth said sadly and Lupita nodded. There weren any halflings in her pack, mostly because they were a very secluded pack that didn let any other species come close to their pack area. It was sad, really, Lupita had always been fascinated with other magical creatures but only ever saw them in books up until a few years back. Though she guessed it was for her packs safety and pride. Being one of the only ancient packs alive at the time and not wanting to ”taint ” their blood. It was all stupid but that was how the elders and their Alpha had wanted it, so she couldn really complain, though she would disagree with what they did. Especially the part where they were instructed to kill the ”lowers ” when they entered their territory.

The girls eventually came out of the lockers and jogged out to the field. Jazmyn was one of the last and walked over to where Lupita and Elizabeth were sitting. Elizabeth took out something that looked like big gloves from her bag and handed it to Jazmyn. They didn seem to be the right size.

”You will do great, honey, ” Elizabeth said and kissed Jazmyns head while the girl looked to be sweating bullets. She took a deep breath before looking at Lupita and giving her a tight smile.

”If I lose, will you come home with us? ” she asked in a hopeful tone.

”Sure, ” Lupita said and nodded. It was better than sleeping in the forest anyway and she would have more time to find a more permanent place where she could stay. She would be safe and warm as well. A very welcome bonus. ”Ill come if you lose or win. ”

Jazmyn smiled and walked onto the field while putting her hair in a ponytail. It looked slightly weird with her dreadlocks but Lupita thought it would be better than having them hit her in the face every time she made a sudden move.

”She seems nervous, ” Lupita said just as Jazmyn tripped but managed to luckily not fall. She got a very prominent red tint to her cheeks as she looked around to see if anyone saw.

”You think? ” Elizabeth asked, and before Lupita could even answer she said, ”It was sarcasm, love. ”

Lupita just nodded and looked out to the field where a man was telling everyone to get into different positions. Jazmyn was placed under a net that was suspended by poles. Were they going to trap her?

”That is a goal, honey, ” Elizabeth said when she saw Lupitas questioning look. ”She is trying out to be the goalie. It will only require her reflexes which are only slightly faster than a humans and so she won be suspected when they play with other schools that aren from this area. ”

”What is a goalie? ” Lupita asked as she saw the other girls run around and kick strange balls at each other or try not to get the other person to get it from them, all while controlling the balls with their feet. ”Football ” suddenly made a lot more sense to Lupita.

”They protect the goal from the ball, ” Elizabeth said.

”Why? ” Lupita asked again, the game only made less and less sense as Elizabeth was explaining.

”Because the other team will get a point if it enters, ” Elizabeth explained. ”And before you ask why. I have no idea. This is a strange game that I don really understand the meaning of, but Jazmyn likes it so I will support her. ”

Lupita hummed and looked back at the field, just as another group of girls came out. They were all much taller than the other ones and slightly more muscular. Werewolves.

Lupita saw Elizabeth visibly tense before she took a deep breath and looked through her bag. She then pulled out a strange device that she put to her lips before pressing a button and inhaling.

”It helps with my breathing problems, ” she said before Lupita could even ask.

”Hey! ”

This person was not as fortunate as Elizabeth and Lupitas fist made contact with their face as soon as she heard the voice. Lupita could both feel and hear the cracks.

”Note, don sneak up on the seemingly blind she-wolf from Norway. Got it, ” Val said while holding a hand to her nose. Blood gushed out from under her hands and between her fingers as she tried to stop the bleeding.

”Oh, faen, sorry, ” Lupita said and grimaced at the sight of blood. She quickly looked away and tried her best to control her breathing and keep both painful memories and her wolf from surfacing. Both were proving to be incredibly difficult.

”No worries, ” Val reassured. There was a bright light and then a sickening cracking noise. Lupita looked over to find Vals nose looking like it wasn just smashed and the girl trying desperately to wipe away the blood with a few wipes she had probably gotten from Elizabeth. ”You hit hard. Im pretty sure I looked like Davy Jones or Voldemort for a few seconds. ”

Lupita just shrugged and looked out on the field. If your parents were killed in front of you when you were thirteen and you were taken by… bad people, you would probably hit hard too, Lupita thought, but she couldn say that. There would be too many questions and too much talking.

”Are you ok? ”

Lupita turned back and saw North carefully holding Vals face in her hands and massaging her nose. Her strong hands carefully held her mates face and her own face was full of worry as she stared at the blood that was left on the kitsunes face.

”Im good. I just got punched by the second hottest person in school, ” she said and kissed Norths nose. North looked at Lupita and growled at her before wrapping her arms protectively around Val. North was taller than Val, at least tall enough for Val to have to stand on her toes to kiss her properly.

”I am not going to even touch her, North. She is all yours, ” Lupita said and raised her hands.

”Good, ” North said and sat down beside her. Val shifted into her fox form and made herself comfortable on Norths lap and North traced her fingers through her fur with a small smile on her face. The rest of the group came shortly after and sat down around Lupita and Elizabeth.

It was only when they began practice, tryouts, or whatever it was they were doing, that Lupita understood why Elizabeth was worried. The werewolves were kicking their balls so hard that they would easily break more than just one bone if they hit a human. And Jazmyn was trying out for both teams. Lupita prayed to Luna that she would be accepted to play with the humans and not come out of this too injured.

After a while of people just kicking the balls in random directions and other stuff, they turned to six people who were standing by the goal as Elizabeth had called it. It still made no sense to Lupita why they were doing this, sure there were sports back at her old place but they at least had a little meaning to them. Like fighting, – which could be an essential skill as a werewolf – or running, – again, an essential skill – or hunting – it put both the previous together and it could be life-saving. They would often have tournaments and other stuff to get people more interested and engaged in the sport and therefore have more people participate. The scores were almost always even. In fighting, the fights could last for hours – and the tournaments for days – and most times it was only the werewolf with the most stamina and better technique that won. In running, they would need multiple races just to determine who the ultimate winner was as all of them could run almost at the same speed. And hunting… Well, it wasn much of a sport, more of an event. Each family would go out when hunting season was upon them and the family that brought home the biggest kill won.

Lupita quickly shook her head and focused back on what was happening. She could think about her past later, now, she had to be here for her… friend.

First up was the humans. Three people took turns in the goal catching a fair amount of the balls kicked at them before Jazmyn stepped in. She looked incredibly nervous as she jumped a bit on the spot, shook her head, and clapped her hands before crouching down and holding out her hands. The first girl kicked the ball and Jazmyn quickly skidded to the side and caught it perfectly. The next girl went ahead and kicked the ball the second Jazmyn was back in place, giving Jazmyn very little time to prepare, but she managed to jump to the side and easily catch the ball mid-air before landing safely back on the ground.

This continued for a while, and Jazmyn caught every single ball. Well, except for that one that slipped out of her hands, but other than that, she had done an amazing job. Or, to Lupita it looked amazing, she wasn sure how a professional would look at this.

Next out came the werewolves. Jazmyn walked out of the goal and two girls went before her. The first girl managed to catch maybe half of the balls that were kicked at her, and the second one caught all except for three. Then, Jazmyn walked into the goal, looking ten times more nervous than before.

Elizabeth was breathing heavily now and had her breathing thing in her shaking hand as she watched her daughter. Aoi had taken to sitting beside the woman and holding her hand, though it seemed like he had underestimated her strength.

The first girl came up to the ball and kicked it. She hadn kicked it hard. It was very obvious, and Jazmyn caught it without much trouble. The second girl… was not as kind. She kicked the ball hard and directly at Jazmyn, who obviously caught it but was launched into the ground.

Jazmyn surprisingly got up and readied herself for the next ball, though with a grimace on her face as she crouched down slightly more than before. The next girl was even more ruthless and kicked the ball straight at Jazmyns face. Jazmyn wasn as quick this time and the ball made contact with her face. Lupita heard a crack and she ran into the field stopping by Jazmyn who was lying on the ground and crying while holding her nose as blood oozed out from between her fingers.

It was strange that none of Lupitas past tried to claw their way back to the surface as she watched her friend whimper and cry on the ground with blood pouring out of her nose. But it was nice since now, Lupita could focus on trying her best to comfort the weeping girl while putting up a mild fight to hold back her past.

Suddenly, Lupita heard something behind her and caught the ball that was headed for her head at arms length. She turned back and saw a girl snickering with her friends. And if making Jazmyn cry wasn enough, she heard the girl mumble, ”That is the least that abomination deserves. Fucking halfling thought she could be on our team. ”

Lupita didn have time to hold back her wolf (not that she wanted to) and she launched herself at the girl. She took the girl by the collar and jumped, leaning all her body weight on her arms so the girl fell back. Lupita heard a crack but she was too far gone in her head to care. Her wolf had almost completely taken over her body at this point and it was terrifying. She barely saw what her body was doing and barely felt anything either. If she didn take back control soon, this girl would be dead, if she wasn already.

Suddenly, she felt a tug and something burning her side, which caused her body to go into panic mode.

She was back in the forest. There were flames as tall as the trees. They were sizzling away her skin. It smelled of smoke, burnt trees, and burning bodies. Her parents were in the middle of it all, reaching out for her. Maybe she could save them this time.

Lupita tried to run to them, but she tripped. And when she looked back up, there was an axe by her parents necks and in the next second, their heads were rolling up to her, their lifeless eyes staring into her soul.

Lupita looked away, closed her eyes, and cried silently. She had failed again. Would she ever be able to save her parents from their fate? Was she doomed to watch their deaths over and over again? Would she ever be free of these memories?

A wonderful smell suddenly filled her nose, and in the next moment electricity coursed through her entire body.

”I still don know how this will help, ” a voice said. They sounded to be far away.

”Trust me, it will, ” another voice said.

Lupita slowly came back and opened her eyes.

”Welcome back, cupcake. ”

Lupita looked up and immediately got lost in those dreamy grey eyes. This was the vampire, Ambrosia if Lupita remembered correctly her name was. Up close she was even more beautiful. Her pale skin didn look completely dead yet as it did with other vampires, there was still a small hint of life beneath it all.

Her wolf suddenly let out a growl and Lupita remembered where she was and who she was with.

”Get away from me, vampire! ” she shouted and pushed the girl back.

”You are welcome, ” the girl said in a tone Lupita guessed was sarcasm.

Lupita growled at the girl, letting her canines show.

”Hey! ” Lupita turned and in the next second she felt a fist connect with her jaw. ”The least you can say is Thank you! ”

Lupita looked up at the boy that punched her, the pain in her jaw and mouth already gone. He was a full vampire, but he didn have dead pale skin either. His skin was more vibrant. Someone clearly took care of it. He also had black, somewhat curly hair and red eyes.

”You would like that, huh, pretty boy? ” Lupita challenged and got up. The boy hissed, unsheathing his fangs, and she growled, not even caring about the very obvious height distance between them which caused her to look up.

The two kept growling and hissing at each other before someone got in between them.

”You! Stop being an ass, ” the person pointed to the guy before turning to Lupita, ”You, stop being an ass! ”

Lupita leaned down and growled at the girl, which caused the vampire to push her behind him and hiss back. Lupita felt her wolf pushing on the front of her mind. She wanted out. She wanted to rip this guys head off and Lupita would gladly allow her.

Suddenly, a foul stench ripped her out of her murderous daze and she covered her nose while feeling the skin on her palms burn. Wolfsbane.

Lupita angrily looked up and saw the girl from before with a bottle of purple liquid in her hands.

A witch.

”That hurts! ” Lupita growled and tried to brush off the liquid while her skin burned.

”Stay away from my boyfriend then, ” the girl said while Lupita pulled up her sweater to wipe away the liquid. ”And the least you could do is thank my friend. ”

”I won thank that newborn, bloodsucker for anything, ” Lupita said, her voice being muffled by her sweater. Gods that spray stung a lot.

”In case you didn get it, (which you obviously didn ) you were out for a while, thrashing about. But when she came up to you, you immediately calmed down, ” the witch said.

Lupita scowled at the vampire, who was not meeting her eye but looking at her abdomen. Why was she looking down there? She looked down as well and saw that she looked normal, nothing off at all. Her fur was still there, her muscles were still there, the scars as well.

Lupita let her sweater drop and rubbed her sore nose with her sleeve.

”Thanks, ” she mumbled. The vampire hadn done anything bad to her so her actions toward her weren justified. But it annoyed her to the core by how she was making her feel. All warm and fuzzy. Her walls were always on the brink of breaking every time they came close to each other, but Lupita always managed to catch herself, and luckily nothing ever happened with the vampire around.

Though, it was weird. She had never felt like this with anybody, especially not a vampire. Burning hatred for them. Yes. The uncontrollable urge to murder them. Also yes. But never the uncontrollable urge to hug one or the burning – good burning – of her fingertips every time she touched one. It didn feel right, but at the same time, it felt all kinds of right.

”You are welcome, ” the vampire said with a smile that didn look quite real.

”You don mean that, ” Lupita pointed out.

”Oh, you think? ” the vampire exclaimed and threw her arms up as her smile grew on her face, but still, it didn look real.

”… yeah? ” Lupita tried and cautiously touched her nose. It still hurt from that spray.

”I don think she knows sarcasm, ” the witch whispered to the tall vampire who scoffed.

”Why are you here? ”

They all turned and saw one of the trainers walk over to them.

”We were just on our way home but stopped when we heard a commotion, ” the witch said as her other two companions were non-responsive and both scowling at Lupita who was licking her fingers and applying the saliva on her nose so it would heal or at least soothe the ache there.

”Well, I don want a witch and two vampires on this field when it is my time. Got it? ” he said as he looked at the tree of them.

”Kind of racist, don you think? ” Astoria said and walked over to the two others and, conveniently, closer to Lupita who could now smell roses, books, honey, and something else she couldn make out but she guessed it was the girls ”natural ” smell. It made her warm and fuzzy again and she growled at herself for feeling the way she did.

The trainer looked speechless. His face turned red and his blue eyes glowed a dull yellow, but he quickly composed himself and turned back to what he was doing, which was tending to the pulp that was left of the girl after what Lupita had done. She looked bad. Her nose was clearly broken, one of her eyes was already starting to turn purple and she was barely conscious.

”You got a strong arm, ” the witch said and approached Lupita with her arm stretched out which caused the latter to quickly back away in fear of the witch having something else up her sleeve. ”I want to shake your hand, ” she clarified as she got closer to her.

Lupita weighed her pros and cons quickly. Shaking the witchs hand; something bad could happen, but everything could also be fine. Witches were deceiving creatures, their intentions never quite clear. This one was one of those and Lupita didn want a curse for the rest of her life for shaking her hand, but she also didn want one for refusing. It was a lose-lose situation.

”Im Marie Jacobs, but you can call me MJ, ” she said while Lupita pulled out her hand and carefully took the witchs hand in hers while the tall vampire behind her hissed protectively.

”Lupita, ” Lupita said and quickly pulled her hand back while glaring at the boy behind her.

”That is Rowan, ” MJ said and patted his cheek. ”He is my boyfriend and that is- ”

”Ambrosia, ” the vampire said and came up to them with her arms crossed. ”We met, but I never caught your name. ”

”Lupita, ” Lupita answered simply and looked at the girl as she stared at her, up and down. Suddenly, Lupita remembered the strange thing the girl had called her. Cupcake. Though just as Lupita was going to ask, someone called her name and she looked over. Elizabeth was motioning her over to where Jazmyn was cradling her nose and still crying while sitting in the grass, her little group surrounding her and comforting her.

Lupita nodded to the trio in front of her, but before she left she quickly looked back at Ambrosia and a small smile made its way to her lips without her being able to control it. ”Cute pin, ” she said softly before walking off, missing the look of absolute shock on the girls face along with her turning redder than she had in 2 long years.